Improvement in mowing-machines



UNiTnn STATES PATENT trice.

JAMES \V. SHIPMAN, OF SPRINGFIELD CENTRE, NEV YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN IVIOWING-IVIACHINES'.

Specication formingpart of Letters Patent No.A 29,325., dated July 2.4, 1860.

'To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES W. SHIPMAN, of Springfield Centre, in the county of Otsego and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Mowing-Machine; and I do hereby declare that the following is a. full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a side view of my invention, the sickle-bar being bisected as indicated by the line w w, Fig. 3; Fig. 2, a front view ofthe same; Fig. 3, a plan or top view of the same; Fig. 4, a section of a portion of the saine, taken in the line a" m', Fig. 3; Fig. 5, a transverse section of one side of the frame of the same, taken in the line y y, Fig. l.

Similar lettersof reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

To enable others skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents the frame of the machine, which is of quadrilateral form, with rounded corners, as shown clearly in Fig. 3. This frame has a Vshaped projection, B, at its front end, and a caster-wheel, C, is secured to the front end of projection B, said wheel supporting the front part of the frame A. The back part of the frame is supported by two wheels, D E, the latter being the drivingwheel, or the one from which the sickle is driven. This wheel E has a toothed rim, F, attached to its inner side, and into this rim a pinion, G, gears, said pinion being placed loosely on a shaft, H, the bearing of which is at the under side of frame A, and cast with it. To the inner part of the pinion Gr there is a ratchet, I, attached, the ratchet and pinion being permanently connected or cast in one piece. The pinion Gand ratchet I are encompassed by a drum, J, which is permanently attached to shaft I-I and concentrically with the pinion and ratchet. In the drum J there is secured a pawl, K, which has a spring, a, bearing against one end of it, said spring having a tendency to keep the pawl either engaged with or disengaged from the ratchet, according to the position ofthe former. When the pawl is engaged with the ratchet the tendency of the spring is to keep the pawl engaged with it, and the reverse is the case when the pawl is disengaged from the ratchet. This resultis due to the form ofthe inner end of the pawl, said end having two plane surfaces, b o, which form an obtuse angle with each other, and against which a plate, d, bears, said plate being acted upon by the spring a. This will be understood by referring to Fig. et, in which the pawl is shown engaged with the ratchet iu black and disengaged with it in red. The pawl K has a pin, c, attached to it, which pin passes through a curved slot, f, iu the inner side of the drum J, and admits of the pawl being readily adjusted in or out of gear with the ratchet. When the pawl is engaged with the ratchet I the wheel F will rotate shaft H, the reverse being the case when the pawl is not engaged with the ratchet.

To the inner end of the shaft H a beveltoothed wheel, L, is secured. This wheel gears into a bevelpinion, M, on a shaft, N, placed longitudinallyin the frameAand ttedin bearings underneath the frame. The front end of the'shaft N has a crank-pulley, 0, secured to it, said pulley having a rod, P, attachcd,which drives the sckles Q. The sickle Q is placed and works on a bar, R, the inner end of which is attached to a shoe, S, said shoe being secured to one end of rods T T, the opposite ends ofv which are ttedin the frame A, in bearings, so as to turn therein and admit of the lower ends ofthe rods rising and falling, and consequently the sickle Q.

On the frame A a bent lever, U, is placed, and secured by a fulcrum-pin, g. To the front end of the lower part of this lever U a chain, p, is attached, and the lower end of' this chain is attached to the shoe S. On the front part of the frame A there is placed a dog, V,which is of bent form, as shown in Fig. 2, and works on a pin or pivot, i, in a proper bearing,j. The upright portion of this dog is notched, or has a shoulder, it, which catches underneath the lower part of the lever U when the latter is elevated, the shoulderlc being made to pass underneath the lever by means of a spring, l, which is placed underneath the outer part of the lower portion ofthe dog, as shown clearly in Fig. l. The front end of the lever U is shown in an elevated state in Fig. 1 and in a depressed state in Fig. 2.

The back end of the draft-pole W is fitted within a socket, X, which is of cast-iron, and formed of a bottom plate and two parallel sides, the back parts of which are provided with eyes m m, through which and bearingsn n on the frame a shaft or rod, Y, passes. This arrangement forms a joint connection of the socket X with the frame A, the socket being allowed to Work freely on the shaft or rod. The back part ot' each side piece of the socket X has a stirrup, o, attached. These stirrnps are simply lateral projections cast with the socket, and form bearings for the feet ot' the driver.

The frame A ofthe machine is of skeleton form-that is to say, it is formed of plates, as shown in Fig. 5, l 1 being parallel side plates, and 2 a top plate. This form gives great strength with a small Weight ot' metal. The frame is all cast in one piece, and but little labor is required in tting the parts together. The wheels are ofcast-iron. The shafting and rods are of Wrought-iron, the'sickle, of course, being steel.

The draft-pole W is secured in the socket X by screws 3 3, which pass through the bot tom of the socket into the draft-pole. This method of attaching the draft-pole to the frame forms a secure connection and admits ot' an independent movement of the frame and pole. The lever U and dog V, arranged as shown, admit of the sickle being very readily raised by the driver, the sickle being retained in an elevated state by the dog.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In combination with the ratchet I, pawl K, and drum J, the intermediate plate, d, and spring a, arranged and operated in the manner described, for the purpose specified.

JAMES W. SHIPMAN.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL J. VVooD, HIRAM R. Woon. 

